Sophie Smith, 33, and her husband Jack, 36, had given up hope of ever becoming parents to their own children after spending six years and £50,000 on IVF desperately trying to conceive. The couple, from Berkhamsted, Hertfordshire, went through five devastating miscarriages and two ectopic pregnancies that required both of her fallopian tubes to be removed - leaving Sophie unable to have children of her own. But their despair turned to joy when Sophie's best friend, Emiliana Hall, stepped in and offered to carry a baby for the couple. The mum-of-two was pregnant with her son Theo, now two, at the time but was determined to give her friends ‘the greatest gift of life’. And now, the best pals - who stuck up a friendship on their first day in secondary school - are delighted to be shopping for baby-grows together as Emiliana is six-months pregnant with Sophie and Jack's baby. Sophie, a fashion buyer, said: "I believe it was fate that I met Em at 12-years-old during our first year of secondary school. “If someone had told me 20 years ago, that one of my best friends would go on to carry my genetic baby I would have laughed. “But all that time has been building up this moment, one I now believe was always meant to be. “We have always had a strong friendship, even after she once ordered four taxis to turn up to my house at 2am on a school night as a joke. “She has saved us from our immense pain and given us back our hope by offering to be our surrogate."
In 2014, Sophie fell pregnant for the first time - two weeks ahead of Emiliana – sadly an early scan at seven weeks for Sophie revealed an ectopic pregnancy. She said: “It was pretty much what you always dream about - sharing pregnancy and motherhood at the same time as my best friend. But on the day, Em told me she was pregnant too I was experiencing stomach pains. “I was rushed to A&E after a scan revealed an ectopic pregnancy - this resulted in tube removal. “It was incredibly scary and emotionally heart-breaking. “It was difficult for both of us to be on very different paths to parenthood, but we it never affected our friendship." It had been six years of emotional turmoil for the fashion buyer who never got to hear a heartbeat as she miscarried at six to seven weeks each time. Emiliana would always offer a shoulder to cry on and would be one of the first to find out about Sophie’s heartache. She said: “Em would always come around, even when I didn’t want to talk but she would be there to support us. “It never got any easier and I began to feel like I constantly had a lump permanently in my throat.
“It became so painful to hear someone else get pregnant and to hear that they had seen a heartbeat on a scan. “The envy and jealousy were immense and then the guilt about feeling this way would set in and the vicious circle continued. “But I would still be there as much as I could for friends pregnancies, baby showers and when babies arrived as it was always my priority to not let my infertility affect friendships. “I guessed Em was pregnant with Theo, I had been through five miscarriages, so I was familiar with the signs of somebody not wanting to tell me. “She was pretty quiet and said we need to meet up, so I knew straight away – it is bittersweet because I was happy for her but sad for me. “I became pretty depressed my mental health definitely took a nosedive - I felt like I was just surviving life watching everyone else move on and have babies of their own. “ During Emiliana’s second pregnancy, the grieving couple took a career break and spent two months travelling around Australia – on their return, Sophie suffered another ectopic pregnancy. She describes it as the ‘nail in the coffin’ as her second fallopian tube was removed.
Although they had never thought about surrogacy before, Emiliana offered whilst pregnant as she wanted to put an end to their pain. Emiliana, who is a hypnobirthing teacher, said: “I thought about being a surrogate for two months before proposing the idea to Sophie as it isn’t the type of thing you can say and go back on. “I wanted to make sure I was serious and that my partner James was happy for me to go ahead with it. “I think him seeing Jack in so much emotional pain over the years has made it an easy decision for him too. “We often say, ‘nine months of our lives for their whole life to change’. “I wrote a letter to Sophie and Jack, so they had it in writing and to show I really meant it.” Four-year-old Mollie and Theo, two, were read a children’s book on surrogacy so they can understand. Sophie adds: “I bought them a book so they can understand as best as they can, Theo is a little too young but Mollie knows the baby isn't mine.
"She is excited to give us a baby too and is always saying 'hello baby' to Em's bump." The most awaited baby will be due in April, Emiliana has opted to have a caesarean to ensure the parents-to-be do not miss the birth. Sophie said: “It was a shock to me when Em offered and it took me a few months to believe her.
The couple, from Berkhamsted, Hertfordshire, went through five devastating miscarriages and two ectopic pregnancies that required both of her fallopian tubes to be removed - leaving Sophie unable to have children of her own.
But their despair turned to joy when Sophie's best friend, Emiliana Hall, stepped in and offered to carry a baby for the couple.
The mum-of-two was pregnant with her son Theo, now two, at the time but was determined to give her friends ‘the greatest gift of life’.
And now, the best pals - who stuck up a friendship on their first day in secondary school - are delighted to be shopping for baby-grows together as Emiliana is six-months pregnant with Sophie and Jack's baby.
Sophie, a fashion buyer, said: "I believe it was fate that I met Em at 12-years-old during our first year of secondary school.
“If someone had told me 20 years ago, that one of my best friends would go on to carry my genetic baby I would have laughed.
“But all that time has been building up this moment, one I now believe was always meant to be.
“We have always had a strong friendship, even after she once ordered four taxis to turn up to my house at 2am on a school night as a joke.
“She has saved us from our immense pain and given us back our hope by offering to be our surrogate."
In 2014, Sophie fell pregnant for the first time - two weeks ahead of Emiliana – sadly an early scan at seven weeks for Sophie revealed an ectopic pregnancy.
She said: “It was pretty much what you always dream about - sharing pregnancy and motherhood at the same time as my best friend. But on the day, Em told me she was pregnant too I was experiencing stomach pains.
“I was rushed to A&E after a scan revealed an ectopic pregnancy - this resulted in tube removal.
“It was incredibly scary and emotionally heart-breaking.
“It was difficult for both of us to be on very different paths to parenthood, but we it never affected our friendship."
It had been six years of emotional turmoil for the fashion buyer who never got to hear a heartbeat as she miscarried at six to seven weeks each time.
Emiliana would always offer a shoulder to cry on and would be one of the first to find out about Sophie’s heartache.
She said: “Em would always come around, even when I didn’t want to talk but she would be there to support us.
“It never got any easier and I began to feel like I constantly had a lump permanently in my throat.
“It became so painful to hear someone else get pregnant and to hear that they had seen a heartbeat on a scan.
“The envy and jealousy were immense and then the guilt about feeling this way would set in and the vicious circle continued.
“But I would still be there as much as I could for friends pregnancies, baby showers and when babies arrived as it was always my priority to not let my infertility affect friendships.
“I guessed Em was pregnant with Theo, I had been through five miscarriages, so I was familiar with the signs of somebody not wanting to tell me.
“She was pretty quiet and said we need to meet up, so I knew straight away – it is bittersweet because I was happy for her but sad for me.
“I became pretty depressed my mental health definitely took a nosedive - I felt like I was just surviving life watching everyone else move on and have babies of their own. “
During Emiliana’s second pregnancy, the grieving couple took a career break and spent two months travelling around Australia – on their return, Sophie suffered another ectopic pregnancy.
She describes it as the ‘nail in the coffin’ as her second fallopian tube was removed.
Although they had never thought about surrogacy before, Emiliana offered whilst pregnant as she wanted to put an end to their pain.
Emiliana, who is a hypnobirthing teacher, said: “I thought about being a surrogate for two months before proposing the idea to Sophie as it isn’t the type of thing you can say and go back on.
“I wanted to make sure I was serious and that my partner James was happy for me to go ahead with it.
“I think him seeing Jack in so much emotional pain over the years has made it an easy decision for him too.
“We often say, ‘nine months of our lives for their whole life to change’.
“I wrote a letter to Sophie and Jack, so they had it in writing and to show I really meant it.”
Four-year-old Mollie and Theo, two, were read a children’s book on surrogacy so they can understand.
Sophie adds: “I bought them a book so they can understand as best as they can, Theo is a little too young but Mollie knows the baby isn't mine.
"She is excited to give us a baby too and is always saying 'hello baby' to Em's bump."
The most awaited baby will be due in April, Emiliana has opted to have a caesarean to ensure the parents-to-be do not miss the birth.
Sophie said: “It was a shock to me when Em offered and it took me a few months to believe her.
Surrogate，不是生物学上的妈妈，怎么有些人一肚子男盗女娼？